AOKK Isshin ryu: Squat Round Kick [Mawashi-geri]

Squat Round Kick is peculiar to Isshin Ryu karate. The kick is executed from Seisan-dachi and the karateka steps almost forty-five degrees and delivers the round kick with the karateka’s weight on the front leg. This kick is extremely effective against a charging overly aggressive fighter. As the attacker charges the kicker steps sideways and forward this puts the charging opponent in line with the round kick. No time is lost bringing the leg around. The hips do not rotate the kick like a Back Leg Round kick. This kick does not come to the front of the kicker’s body. By stepping on an angle, you’re outside the opponent’s line of attack. Lift the leg horizontal to the ground and snap the kick forward at the knee with a slight hip rotation. The strike is with the ball of the foot, so the toes must be pulled back while delivering the kick. The kick targets the groin, bladder, and solar plexus.  It can also target the top of an attacker’s thigh.

Note: This kick begins by stepping out of the opponent’s straight line of attack. It also should begin with the knee moving forward like a front kick to disguise the technique. As the knee passes the support leg the it pushes out on a forty-five degree angle and is throw like a front kick, and the ball of the foot is used as the striking area so the power can be concentrated in a smaller more penetrating area. This kick is a snapping kick, so the speed of the kick generates power.